Bechtler Museum of Modern Art

The Bechtler Museum of Modern Art in Charlotte is a 3,390-square-meter space dedicated to mid-20th-century Art Nouveau exhibitions. It is named after the family of Andreas Bechtler, a resident of Charlotte and a native of Switzerland. He inherited a collection of more than 1,400 works of art created by major figures of 20th-century modernism.

The Bechtler Museum of Modern Art opened on January 2, 2010. It is the second museum in the country designed by Swiss architect Mario Botta. He also designed the Museum of Modern Art in San Francisco. A key design element of the four-story building is a soaring glass atrium that runs through the center of the museum and diffuses natural light throughout the interior.

The Bechtler collection reflects most of the important artistic movements and schools of the 20th century, with a particular focus on the works of the post-war School of Paris. It includes mid-century contemporary art by such artists as Max Ernst, Andy Warhol, Alberto Giacometti, Joan Miró, and Pablo Picasso. Many of them are presented using different media and visual approaches.

The museum reveals its responsibility to the city in a wide range of programs to work with the population. Employees work with the Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired. Over the past few years, they have been making efforts to help adults with developmental problems and have established relationships with the County's prison system and with youth as well. The latest programs have been designed to meet the needs of people with early dementia and their care partners; to help prevent burnout and reduce the number of misdiagnoses; to support veterans, active-duty military personnel, and their families.

The collection of the museum reveals mainly the tastes of the family of collectors: the works that they purchased were made by artists from all over Europe, Britain, and America. Only a few of these remarkable works of art had been shown to the public in the United States before the museum opened. Previously, the collection was privately owned by a family in Switzerland.